Void
by Dr.Willowbrook
Summary: There's a giant, icy void between them that will never be filled. The void that Korra left behind.
1. Void

**Void**

Asami hates the winter.

It reminds her of the South Pole, and it hurts to remember that place.

But the nights are always cold now, no matter the season.

The heat of Mako's naked body flush against hers doesn't change that fact. There's a giant, icy void between them that will never be filled. The void that Korra left behind.

She doesn't turn him away when he comes to her night after night, bleary and despondent. They wouldn't call it making love. But it's filled with too much baggage to be just sex. The struggle is furious and desperate. There's no gentleness. She tries to draw blood when she rakes her nails down his back. He retaliates by biting down on her neck to muffle his screams of regret. The marks left behind are anything but signs of affection. They lash out against one another. Against the universe. Against the unfairness of it all.

He never stays till morning. He knows she doesn't want him to. They both need time to lick their wounds, anyway. The physical ones they inflict on each other between the sheets are just the tip of the iceberg.

When he leaves, Asami wails into her pillow.

Korra's deep blue eyes plague her dreams. The last time she saw them, they sparkled with determination and concern. Concern for her.

"_Promise me you'll take care of yourself out there in that hummingbird suit. No unnecessary risks, okay?"_

"_Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? You're the one that's going to be taking on Kuvira."_

"_I'll promise to be careful if you do."_

"_I do."_

_They share a tight, lingering embrace. _

_Asami doesn't want to let go. All she wants is to let the feel of Korra's body and the smell of Korra's hair seep into her bones. _

_Korra is a part of her. Has been for a while now. _

_A hopeful feeling in her chest finally convinces her to let go. When this is all over, she'll see Korra again. And the rest of her life can begin._

How could she be so wrong?

They never find Korra's body after the battle. Or Kuvira's. All that's left is a scorched scar in the earth from the spirit weapon. In the smoldering crater they find a burnt piece of Korra's fur liner and one of Kuvira's metal bracers.

On the same day, Asami loses both her father and her . . . (Avatar? Best friend? Girlfriend? Soulmate?) whatever it is Korra was to her. Now she'll never know for sure.

Losing her father is difficult, but it's something she learned to cope with in the years before his actual death. She's been preparing her heart for this moment for a long time.

Korra's death, on the other hand, is something she can't even comprehend.

_What do you mean she's gone? It's impossible. This is Korra we're talking about! _

Korra can't be dead. She was the Avatar. She was powerful. She was so full of life.

Thinking of Korra in the past tense makes Asami sick to her stomach.

She would rather believe that every fundamental truth she's ever held about the universe is a lie. It would hurt so much less than accepting that Korra's gone.

When the realization finally sets in, it breaks her a little bit. Asami feels like something essential to her soul has been ripped away. She becomes a mere husk of the person she always thought she _should_ be. She's afraid it might be permanent.

Asami is trapped in a state of perpetual mourning. She grieves for her sweet, brave, and kind best friend. She grieves for the love that she'll never be able to properly express. Grieves for the future she always envisioned with Korra's brilliant smile in it. Thinking of all the missed chances and lost opportunities almost drives her crazy.

She stops dreaming about the future. What's the point of one without Korra in it, anyway?

* * *

One night, Asami finally utters the silent thought she shares with Mako.

"I can't believe she left us behind."

He turns to look at her. She doesn't miss the disappointment in his eyes of seeing emerald instead of sapphire. She understands the feeling.

"At least we have each other."

There's no comfort in his words. Only sarcasm and regret. She shares the sentiment. No one can replace Korra. She was bigger than life and now they're barely living without her.

"We're just poor substitutes," she replies.

He laughs in agreement. It's hollow and sad.

"Do you think there's anyone else in this world that understands what this feels like?"

They both loved Korra desperately. She can't deny that.

"No, I guess not."

His gaze locks onto hers.

"I know there was something going on between you two."

There's no accusation in his voice. Just an unsaid condolence for what she's lost.

She scoffs at his pity.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore."

It comes out much more bitter than she intends.

* * *

Eventually, Asami settles back into the rhythm of existing. Korra's loss still hurts like an open wound, but she no longer feels like she's drowning in her sorrow each day.

The Future Industries CEO slowly retakes the reigns of Republic City's revival. She sees that there's so much left that needs to be done. Asami can't stand the thought of letting everything that Korra fought so hard for just fall by the wayside. So she throws herself into preserving what's left of her best friend's legacy.

It's her penance. A final love letter.

The next handful of years pass by in an agonizingly slow procession.

One day Mako shows up on her doorstep, a rucksack over his shoulder. His golden eyes shine with a determination she hasn't seen in years.

"I'm leaving for Omashu."

Asami doesn't need to ask why. She knows about the news of the new Avatar coming from the Earth Republic. A little girl.

She thinks Mako is on a fool's errand, looking for the woman they love inside a child.

"She's not her, you know."

He sighs, but his gaze remains undeterred.

"I know, but Korra's got to be in there _somewhere_."

A part of her feels sorry for the new Avatar. So many expectations are already heaped upon her tiny shoulders. She doesn't need Mako or Asami adding to the pile.

"It won't be fair to the kid."

Mako meets her stern glare. She can tell he's set on doing this.

"We need to make sure the new Avatar is safe. We owe it to Korra. We can't fail her again."

Something about his naive hopefulness enrages her. How dare he presume that they even deserve to be at the Avatar's side again? Korra's gone. This little girl deserves to be seen as her own person. Doesn't he get it?

She cuts into him. It's cruel but necessary.

"You're being selfish. You'll just end up confusing that little girl. The new Avatar doesn't need us. It's someone else's job now. We blew our chance, remember?"

He recoils as if she just punched him. She takes an odd pleasure in seeing the hurt and shame spread across his features. It doesn't last long.

When she sees the unshed tears in his eyes, she finds herself involuntarily wrapping him in a tight embrace. It's the first true warmth she's shown him since that fateful day, years ago. Something about his broken look reminds her of how she feels inside. She's so tired of hurting. Now she just wants to heal.

He sobs into her shoulder. Incoherent apologies stumble from his mouth.

"We need to let her go, Mako."

Her voice is soothing. Kind. She hasn't been kind in a very long time.

Asami thinks about Korra and remembers happier days. Days long gone.

But there's a new Avatar now. Korra's spirit is reborn. The world is (only somewhat) whole again.

It'll have to be enough. Perhaps enough so that she and Mako can finally move on.

Asami smiles wistfully.

She prays that this new Avatar and her friends fare better than they did.

_A/N: So, um . . . I don't know where this came from. Been listening to too much of the Weeknd I guess._

_Review are greatly appreciated!_


	2. Home

**Home**

Fate can be cruel.

Asami knows this better than most. She is no stranger to tragedy. Her heart is a blade of tempered steel, forged in a crucible of repeated heartbreak.

But when she looks at the young woman standing in her office, Asami hopes that fate doesn't have one last twist of the knife in store for her. If it does, this could be the one that finally shatters her beyond repair.

Asami's visitor carries herself with a poise and grace well beyond her seventeen years. She's somewhat surprised when the teenager greets her with a deep, respectful bow.

"Thank you very much for agreeing to see me, Ms. Sato. I'm so honored to finally meet you."

When the visitor raises her eyes to meet Asami's gaze, they are filled with familiar warmth and a hint of reverence. The older woman has to stop herself from grinning in embarrassment. Spirits knows what type of outlandish stories people have been telling this young lady about Asami Sato, one of the so-called "Heroes of Republic City."

"The pleasure is all mine, Avatar Maylin. There's no need for any formalities here. Please call me Asami."

The Avatar smiles. It's heartfelt and open. Asami's heart clenches. It's just a bit too similar to the blue-eyed grin she still sees in her dreams.

"Of course. And please call me Maylin. Being called the Avatar all the time makes me feel like I should be wiser than I actually am."

The two of them share a small laugh. Asami understands what it's like. She still remembers the late nights in her youth spent with Korra, venting about the burdens imposed upon them by their respective positions.

Asami immediately feels an odd sort of kinship with this girl. Maylin is well spoken and exudes a quiet confidence. But she is also unassuming and doesn't take herself too seriously. She reminds Asami of her teenage self.

The young Avatar's hazel eyes are swirling pools of jade and amber. A perfect marriage of earth and fire. Asami smiles inwardly. It's a fitting look for an Avatar in this new day and age.

Unlike most of the modern young women in the public eye, Maylin's flawless ivory skin is completely devoid of cosmetics. Her long, shiny, straight black hair converges into a simple side ponytail. She has a beauty that is understated but made all the more striking for its complete lack of pretense. It's natural and pure. Just like Korra's.

Asami abruptly reminds herself not to compare this new Avatar to her long-lost best friend. It isn't fair to either of them.

"So, what can I do for you, Maylin?"

To the older woman's surprise, a sheepish grin spreads over the young Avatar's face. Her cheeks color and she looks down to the floor, hands wringing together nervously. Asami suddenly remembers that underneath it all, Maylin is still so incredibly young. Occasional bouts of insecurity come with the territory. She can't believe that Korra was the same age when she first barreled into Asami's life. It feels like a lifetime ago.

"I actually have a number of reasons for coming to see you," divulges the hazel-eyed girl, voice quiet with apprehension.

The president of Future Industries feels a bit of sympathy for the inexperienced Avatar. She decides that perhaps some levity will make the younger woman feel more comfortable in her presence.

"Hopefully none of those reasons involves you apprehending me in order to stop my diabolical plans for world domination."

"What?" Maylin reflexively responds, waving her hands frantically in denial. "No, that's not it at all . . . wait, you're not serious are you?"

The flustered and confused look on the Avatar's face is too much for Asami to resist. She releases a full-bodied chuckle as she pats Maylin on the shoulder consolingly. The young woman's cheeks color once more before she brings a palm to her own face.

"This so not how envisioned this meeting going," she murmurs through an exasperated grin before eventually joining in Asami's amusement.

When the Avatar resumes talking, she's still too embarrassed to meet the older woman's eyes completely. She rubs the back of her head as she apologizes. It's a nervous tick that Korra used to have too. Asami immediately slams the brakes on that train of thought.

"I'm sorry," Maylin rambles, "I swear I'm not normally like this around people. It's just that I've heard so much about you and all the great things you've done. And now that I finally get to meet you . . ."

Asami mercifully cuts off the Avatar's nervous rant before it spirals completely out of control.

"I'm sure the stories about me are greatly exaggerated."

Her comment unexpectedly snaps Maylin out of her nervous state. To Asami's surprise it elicits a knowing smirk from the Avatar. She sees the young woman's confidence slowly returning.

"On the contrary, I have it on good authority that the stories I've heard about you are not at all exaggerated."

Maylin sounds completely sure of herself. It's Asami's turn to send the Avatar a puzzled look.

"On whose authority are you relying, exactly?"

"I think it'll be easier to explain if I show you."

Maylin digs into the bag strapped across her shoulders and pulls out a small, fur-lined leather pouch. She hands it carefully to the Future Industries president.

Asami ghosts one of her fingers over the soft fur lining. The distinctive feel of leopard seal fur triggers a host of memories.

_The glare of white snow all the way to the horizon. The wet warmth of a polarbear dog snout nuzzling against her ear. Eyes as blue as the endless sky._

Leopard seals only come from one place. It's a place she hasn't visited since she said her cold, tearful goodbyes seventeen years ago.

"Open it," Maylin nudges encouragingly.

Asami complies automatically, her hands no longer her own. The pouch is filled to the brim with neatly folded sheets of paper. The slight yellowing of their edges betrays the fact that they've seen many winters. They are letters, folded neatly in thirds to protect the text inside.

When she takes one out to inspect it, she gasps. Her name adorns the outside fold. It's written in a cursive hand that she memorized by heart nearly two decades ago.

_Korra_.

She can hardly breathe. All she can hear is the pounding of her heart. Asami leafs through the other letters in the pouch. They all bear the same handwriting. Her name is on each one. All dated from the time Korra spent recovering in the South Pole. All meant for her but never sent. _There are dozens of them_.

She looks up at Maylin, her eyes wide with an unspoken question.

"How did you . . .?"

"Korra told me. She wants you to have them."

Her world shatters. Then it slowly knits itself back together again. The crucial pieces that Asami thought were gone forever are now returned. The world is still cracked and broken in places, but at least it is whole again.

Asami covers her mouth as a sob involuntarily escapes her. Her vision blurs with unshed tears.

"You can talk to her spirit?"

Maylin responds with a solemn nod.

Asami's heart soars. Korra is alive. Somewhere, in some form, she is alive. An enormous weight lifts from her chest. She's carried it for so many years that she's forgotten what it feels like to live without the burden of not knowing. Of wondering whether Korra is truly gone forever. She breathes again, like it is the first time.

"Korra's been a great friend to me," Maylin recounts warmly. "She helped me come to terms with a lot of things about being the Avatar these past few months. I think I can finally embrace who I am because of everything she's shared with me. I'm afraid I'd be a bit lost without her."

There are some things that even death cannot erase. Korra's beautiful and compassionate heart is one of them. It reaffirms Asami's faith in the universe.

But why is she only hearing of this now?

"How did you get in touch with Korra's spirit? I've entered the Spirit World through the portal in the North Pole several times and I've never been able to find her."

The answer is not exactly the new Avatar's proudest moment.

"I learned how to access the Spirit World through meditation a few months ago when I was studying with the Southern Water Tribe. One day I kind of . . . accidentally stumbled into the fog of lost souls."

A mortified grin spreads over Maylin's features at Asami's astonished look.

"Korra and I found each other there, in the fog. Actually, it was more like she ran me over."

"Why am I not surprised," laughs Asami. Leave it to Korra to accidentally trample her successor. The sheer _Korraness_ of it all warms something inside of her.

"We helped each other. After some unexpected detours and somewhat avoidable complications, we eventually found our way back. The rest, as they say, is history."

Asami smirks knowingly at Maylin's obviously abbreviated account.

"I have a feeling there's much more to this story than what you're telling. Nothing involving Korra is ever that simple. Trust me, I know."

"I don't deny it. But like I said before, it'll be easier to show you. Will you let me?"

Maylin's hopeful smile completely disarms her. She instinctively trusts this new Avatar. The young woman's heart is as open and transparent as her predecessor's. Something inside Asami wants to protect that innocence as long as she can. There is only one answer to Maylin's request.

"Of course."

The young Avatar hesitantly lifts an open hand to Asami's face, her hazel eyes silently asking for permission. The older woman grants it with a small nod. Maylin gently touches her palm to Asami's cheek.

It's a tender gesture. One Asami hasn't felt in ages.

When Asami meets the Avatar's eyes, they fill with an otherworldly light. Maylin's hazel orbs shine with a brilliant white glow. Asami knows this vision well. She's seen it in Korra's eyes many times. The Avatar state.

The glow intensifies until the glare becomes unbearable. Light radiates from the Avatar as a blinding white blaze engulfs them.

When the brilliant light recedes, Asami is alone.

She is flat on her back, floating on a swaying sea of ethereally green grass. The sky undulates with a rainbow of ever-shifting colors. The trees at the edge of the clearing bend and fan out at physically impossible angles. Small spirits flutter about in the periphery of her vision.

Asami laughs to herself. This new Avatar is quite impressive. She's never heard of an Avatar who can send people's spirits into the Spirit World at will. But obviously this one can. She is eager to see what sweet Maylin, with all her potential, will eventually become. She hasn't felt this type of excitement about the future in a very long time.

The sound of footsteps in the grass startles Asami out of her musings. A female silhouette stands over her, backlit by the shifting glow of the sky. As Asami's eyes adjust to the light, the figure's features slowly emerge out of shadow.

The warm hue of bronzed skin. Short-cropped hair the color of dark chocolate. Shimmering cerulean eyes, dripping with tears. The figure's brilliant smile reflects the happiness threatening to burst from Asami's chest.

"I've been waiting for you."

_Korra_.

A damn bursts inside her. Asami can't stop the watery sobs that wrack her body. A torrent of pent-up emotion flows out of her.

All those years. The sadness. The regret. The despair. The longing. All washed away, absolved by one sentence from Korra's grinning lips.

Catharsis overwhelms her. Asami commands her hands to wipe away the tears clouding her eyes, but nothing happens. She can't move.

So Korra comes to her.

Asami feels the grass next to her give way. Korra lies down beside her, so close that their shoulders touch.

Korra takes Asami's hand, fingers interlaced, and gently squeezes. The intimate gesture calms the swirling hurricane of Asami's emotions.

When she turns her head to look at the familiar blue orbs staring back at her, she knows this is where she belongs.

After seventeen long years they find each other. Finally.

Korra's smile mirrors her own.

Asami voices the one question left in her heart.

"Am I home?"

Their foreheads touch. Emerald looks on sapphire. The way it always should have been.

"Yes, you are."

_Tell me what you think. Feedback is greatly appreciated!_


End file.
